Process of maintaining an even temperature and humidity in places where tobacco and cigars are stored.



E. G. B'i;`\R'RivlAN. NINGrA AN VEVEN TEMPERATUB.

ROGESS. OF MAINTAI E ANB HUMIDITY BRE TOBACCO AND GIGARS ARE STORED. Arnlomxdn Hmm #23.14. 190s.

IN PLAGES WH MODEL..

lUTTisn ETaTns Patented December 15, 1903.

PATENT TTTcn,

EDWARD C. BERRIMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS 0F MAlNTAlNlNG AN EVEN TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDlTY INPLACES WHERE TOBACCO AND CIGARS ARE STORED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,121, dated December 15, 1903. Application `filed February 14| 1903. Serial No. 143,293. (No specimens.)

To a/ZZ whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD C. BERRIMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Maintaining an Even Temperature and Humidity in Places Where Tobacco and Cigars are Stored, of which the following is a speciication.

Heretofore considerable difculty has been experienced in keeping tobacco and cigars in proper condition owing to the varying changes in temperature and humidity, and it frequently happens that large quantities of tobacco in bales 0r manufactured into cigars are spoiled or injured by changes in the weather over night. In some climates it is necessary in the summer-time to store the leaf and high-grade tobacco as near the ceiling of the room or vault as possible, owing to the great humidity which causes the tobacco near the floor to sweat. Every time the tobacco sweats it turns darker, which is objectionable, because light-colored tobacco and cigars are in greater demand, and consequently repeated sweatings darken thetobacco, and its value is to that extent diminished. If the tobacco' is subjected to cold While moist, the germ appears to be destroyed, the leaves will shrink and never return to their original size and ilexibility, and therefore the grade of the tobacco is lowered, and the leaves cannot be used for making cigars of certain sizes. Tobacco is taxed according to its weight when put in bond, and while there it loses considerable weight by drying, so that when taken out it is invariably lighter than When put in. The owner 0r broker not only loses on the weight, but also the revenue which has been paid on this difference in the Weight and on the decrease of value due to shrinkagein the leaves. For example, the duty on Sumatra wrappers is one dollar and eighty-five .cents per pound, and bales averaging one hundred and seventy pounds will lose about live poundsin weight While in bond, andthe duty on Havana fillers is thirty -five cents per pound and on Havana Wrappers one dollar and eighty-live cents per pound, and these bales of eighty to one hundred pounds will lose from three to eight pounds in bond.

gars and spoil them.

duced by excessive humidity and high temper- It is a Well-known fact that the dierent kinds and grades of tobacco are distinguished by their bacteria, and great quantities of tobacco in bales and manufactured are spoiled and for many purposes rendered absolutely useless by the production of worms which bore through the tobacco and spoil it for use as wrappers and also bore through ci- 'Ihese worms are proature,which frequently occur in the summertime when the air carries too much moisture. In Winter-time there is not enough moisture in the air,and the tobacco Will dry out, shrink, and crack. If the weather changes suddenly or proper attention is not given, the air may become too moist and cause the tobacco and cigars to soften and to sweat and becomeV moldy. The practice has obtained to some extent of putting ice in a cigar-vault to reduce the temperature; but this increases the humidity and may cause the tobacco to mold. A fan has also been used to introduce dry air; but this dries out the stock directly in the path of the incoming air and spoils the stock, besides producing an uneven temperature and humidity in the vault.

It will be understood, of course, that I have referred to the storage of tobacco in bales in bondedwarehouses and other places, to samples of un manufactured tobacco kept by brokers for reference and inspection, and also t0 cigars keptby manufacturers, agents, and dealers in vaults and rooms constructed for that purpose. v

It is my object to provide a system for use in all places Where tobacco and cigars particularly are stored for the purpose of maintaining an approximately constant degree of temperature and humidity, whereby the stock may be kept always in proper condition, retaining the natural and original moisture and maintaining the grade of the tobacco and greatly enhancing its value. This I accomplish by providing for the admission of dry or moist and preferably cool air into the room or vault in such quantities and proportions as may be found necessary and distributing the air admitted evenly and in nely-divided state throughout the room or vault.

In the accompanying drawings I have IOO shown, largely diagrammatically, an apparatus which may be employed for carrying out the objects of my invention, and referring thereto, Figurel is a diagrammatic sectional view, and Fig. 2 is a plan view.

In the preferred adaptation of my invention I employ an air-tank 10 of any suitable character, which is located in a cooling-Vat 11 and is kept constantly supplied with air by a pump 12. The air-tank may be submerged in running Water in the vat or it may be packed with ice, as desired, for cooling the air, and the air-.inlet pipe 13, leading from the pump, may be coiled on the bottom of the vat, as shown, so that the air will loe more thoroughly cooled, or this pipe may be connected direct with the tank and the outlet-pipe 14, coiled at the bottom of the vat. The air-pipe 14 is connected with an atomizer 15 in the vault 16, which will be understood to represent any place Where manufactured or unmanufactured tobacco is stored. The moist air is preferably discharged in the vault at the top thereof, so that in falling it will force the old air in the vault out through a discharge or outlet at the bottom, and for this purpose I support the atomizer in any suitable manner from the ceiling and preferably at or about the center of the vault or otherwise disposed, as may be found desirable to accomplish the sought-for results. The atomizer is provided with a number of discharge-jet tubes 15', arranged to discharge the atomized Water to all parts of the vault,

and to vaporize the atomized water discharged from the atomizer and to more thoroughly and completely subdivide and distribute the moist air evenly throughout the vault I prefer to employ a number of air-jets, which may be formed in a ring 17, located beneath and adjacent to the atomizer and provided With jet-openings 18, upwardly directed to discharge slanting jets of air into the atomized water after its discharge from the atomizer and While still suspended in the air at the top ofthe vault. In this way I not only provide for vaporizing and subdividing the atomized water to the finest degree, but I also accomplish the distribution of the fresh moist air in a sort of cloud throughoutthe area of the vault and at the top thereof, so that in falling it will force out the stale air at the bottom of the room through the outlet 19. When the temperature is low, there is usually not sufficient moisture in the air to preserve the tobacco and cigars in proper condition; but by my process and apparatus the air in the Vault can be charged With moisture by operating the valves 2O 21 in the pipes 22 23, leading from the feed-pipe 14 to the atomizer and vaporizer, respectively. If there is too much humidity in the vault, a quantity of fresh cool air may be admitted through the vaporizer, and in addition thereto I may also employ in large vaults and Wherever desired supplemental air-pipes 24 adjacent to the sides of the vault and the ceiling and pro` vided with openings through which jets of air will be discharged in the direction of the cloud radiating from the atomizer to more thoroughly and completely diffuse the vapor throughout the vault.

Water is supplied to the atomizer through a pipe 25, connected with the city service or other source of supply, and the atomizer is preferably provided with a gage 26. A hydrometer and a thermometer should also be hung in the vault to determine the humidity and temperature.

While the invention is particularly valuable for the purpose of maintaining a proper degree of temperature and humidity Where tobacco is stored, it is apparent that'it may be used for preserving other goods besides tobacco. It enables the maintenance of a constant degree of temperature and humidity regardless of changes outside of the vault, and obviously the valves may be connected with the hyd rometer and thermometer to operate automatically, so as to absolutely avoid all danger which might otherwise' result from inattention. Maintaining the proper temperature and humidity in this Way preserves the unmanufactured tobacco in its original condition and grade and prevents its loss of weight, and it will also preserve cigars in proper condition and prevent them from becoming too moist and molding on the one hand and too dry and breaking on the other.

I do not confine myself to an atomizer of any particular construction, as it is apparent that my process can be Worked With atomizers of different kinds. I may also use other means for cooling the air before it is admitted to the vault, and I may dispense with the cooling step of the process entirely. I prefer, however, to employ the cooling-tank, as it providesfor the storage of air under pressure sufficient not only to produce atomization, but also to supply the vaporizer.

Where the atomizer is located centrally in a square room, I prefer to vuse a vaporizer in the form of a ring, as shown in Fig. 2; but other means and arrangements may be employed for directing the vaporizing air-jets into the atomized Water Without departing from the invention.

Any suitable means may be employed for compressing the air; but I have found that an ordinary water-pump operated by Water under city pressure will answer the purpose very well.

It is apparent that many changes in the construction and arrangement of the apparatus may be made in installing it in different places, and I therefore do not restrict the practice of my process to the particular apparatus illustrated, but reserve the right to make all such changes in the form and arrangement and construction of parts as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is especially useful in pre- IOO IIO

4and this is easily accomplished by following the process hereinbefore described.

Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement of the apparatus herein shown and described, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The herein-described process of maintaining an even temperature and humidity in places Where tobacco and cigars are stored which consists in providing a supply of water and a supply of air under pressure, introducing the air to the Water-supply to produce an atomization at the top of the storage-place, and then introducing jets of air into the atomized spray to vaporize and distribute the spray in a cloud throughout the storageplace.

2. The herein-described process of maintaining an even temperature and humidity in places Where tobacco and cigars are stored which consists in providing and cooling a sup ply of air under pressure and also providing a supply of Water, bringing.,r together the air and water to produce atomization at the top of the storage-place, and then introducing jets of cool air into the spray to vaporize and distribute the spray in a cloud throughout the storage-place.

3. The herein-described process of maintaining an even temperature and humidity in places Where tobacco and cigars are stored which consists in providing and cooling a supply o'f air under pressure and also providing a supply of Water, bringing together the air and Water to produce atomization at the top of the storage-place, then introducing jets of air into the spray to vaporize and distribute the spray in a cloud throughout the storageplace, and introducing additional distributing jets of air into the room in a direction opposite to the vaporizing-jets.

EDWARD C. BERRIMAN.

Witnesses:

ALMA C. OLAIsoN, CEAS. CARLSON. 

